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“I remember you mentioning your daughter. How old is she again?”

“Eighteen, and she thinks she’s grown since she started college.”

“Oh, wow! You have a daughter old enough to be in college. How old are you?”

“Don’t remind me. Her ass is not grown yet, but I’m thirty-six. My mom told me to never ask a woman her age, but I learned the hard way that it’s best to ask early. How old are you?”

“I think you should have asked me that before you got in my panties. I’m thirty.”

“I knew you were at least legal.”

“Oh, so I look old?”

“I knew you were at least older than my baby girl. Then again, she still looks six years old to me.”

“I didn’t take you as a girl dad.”

“Yeah, that’s my baby. She’s so damn spoiled it’s a shame, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Hearing him talk about his daughter made me smile. “I didn’t think you could get any more adorable.”

“You think I’m adorable, huh?”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No take backs, woman. I’m adorable.”

“Shut up.” I laughed.

“As much as I hate to see her grow up, I can’t wait to get her out of my pockets. I don’t see that happening any time soon. My baby is going to school to be a pediatrician.”

“OK then. I take it she’s pretty smart.”

“Yeah. I think she gets that from her mama.”

“You’re pretty sharp yourself. Do her and Victor have the same mom?”

“I wish. Amber’s mom and I messed around for a little while when we were young. She lived with another dude, but I didn’t mind being on the side because I could do what I wanted in the meantime. Eventually, we stopped seeing each other. A few years later, she turned up with a two-year-old saying that she turned out not to be her man’s after they broke up. I knew she was mine as soon as I saw her, but we got the test just to make sure. Even though we were never together, we did a great job of coparenting.

“Victor’s mom and I dated for a few months. I was around during her whole pregnancy, trying to make her get it together before the baby came. She didn’t. Instead, she left him at the hospital after he was born premature and with drugs in his system. I had to fight to get custody of him. Since then, it’s pretty much always just been me and him.”

I gasped. “I’m sorry, Quinton. I had no idea.”

“It’s not your fault. If it were up to me, he would be good with just me in his life, but he asks for his mom all the time. She refuses to give up the streets. I ran into her a couple of days ago and tried to talk some sense into her. She won’t even try to get it together for her son.”

“They say addiction is an illness. She’s not really herself as long as she’s getting high.”

“So I’ve heard. I’ve only ever known her when she was using. She graduated from cocaine to crack over the years. I used to let her get him when she was more stable and kept a place to stay. Then I caught her doing some bullshit while he was in the house. I know that’s his mother, but I can’t have my son around any and everything. I left the streets so I could be there for him. I can’t allow anybody else to expose him to drugs and all the shit that she refuses to leave behind.”

“I understand that. He’s your number one priority.”

“I wish she felt the same.”

“You’re preaching to the choir on that one. You’ve met Trey’s dad.”

“What’s the story with Theo’s father? I need to know in advance if I have to worry about him too.”

“One bitch made baby daddy is more than enough for anybody. Theo’s dad has been in prison for going on five years. He refuses to let us visit him, not that I would want my baby in a prison anyway.”